And the train now leaving the Ministry of Health will also crash!

After my gloomy prognostications concerning the future of Illinois and Chicago, I thought I would drag my howls of woe back 'over here'.  It is becoming clearer by the day that the great Ponzi scheme that is the National Health Service ("the envy of the world"-not!) is now devouring itself.  Of course, the idea that a service with a totally unlimited demand could be provided with limited means was always the stuff of fable and fairy-tales and socialist crapula!  Needless to say, the people who know this better than anyone, the politicians, are the very same people who will never raise the subject in public, not for fear of causing riots in the streets but for fear of losing their jobs at the hands of an outraged and unbelievably stupid public.

The fact that the politicians actually boast of a service that "is free at the point of delivery" and that a credulously dim-witted population laps it up stands as a monument to human stupidity.  Sooner or later, and probably sooner, reality will crash-bang its way into the futile dreams of 'The People' (dread words!) and the politicians will be forced to either cut services or charge for them - or probably both and the sooner, the better!

Comments

[Pat]

Trouble is that when it happens it will be seen as the fault of the current government, not of the unrealisable system.

[Cuffleyburgers]

David - and the same applies to the state pension "scheme" which really is a ponzi if ever there was one. At least in theory, the nHS. Ould be fixed for example by privatising the servic providers and thereby ensuring some incentive for innovation.

However pensions, is just a massive black hole, in every country in the civilised world as far as one can tell.

And thanks to Browns tax rate and then zirp, private schemes are f&&@cked as well.

Nightmare.

[TheBigHenry]

"Two things are infinite -- the universe and human stupidity.
 And I'm not sure about the universe."
  -- Albert Einstein

[TheBigHenry]

Every public school in the world should adopt the following motto:

"If it sounds too good to be true, there's a good reason for it."

[Peter Whale]

There is an easy way to cure our NHS education and pensions. You ban all civil servants and local government workers and everyone directly employed by the state from using private medicine, private education and they are all only allowed to have the basic pension regardless of their position whether judge or road sweeper.If they want a bigger pension they take out and pay for a private one. I would extend this to industry as well so their would be no company schemes to be plundered. Problem solved.

[Antisthenes]

I was a beneficiary of the French health care system for a number of years and surprising for the French they have actually privatised large parts of the provision and funding. I found their health care excellent because of it. Now I am back in the UK I have found the NHS dysfunctional and not fit for purpose especially when compared with the French one. I therefore am on a crusade to make the UK adopt the French system or at least learn from it. Of course all I speak to will not hear a word of it despite the fact that it is considerably superior and does not disadvantage anyone.

It does not exclude anyone(except it does ensure against health tourism another advantage) which all believe it would and nobody is financially disadvantaged. It is a well organised simple system that motives medical staff to work in their patients interests not just their own as is the case in the NHS. It is all done by the simple expedient of introducing competition, which the French normally abhor, so that patients can choose to see the GP, nurse, go to the testing facilities or go to the hospital that they believe is best for them.

It still has to battle the same problem of an ever growing costs but it has a built in mechanise to mitigate some of that but one day that will hit the buffers but long after the NHS does.

[Loz]

And the one chance we had to expose the NHS to globalisation, and thereby get some productivity, efficiency, and value for money, we threw away by voting Brexit.

Brussels wanted CETO and TTIP to bring some North American "can-do" attitude and competition to the deficient public sectors of Europe. Juncker-the-Drunker could've done with some Anglo-Saxon support getting the agreements past the Jerry and Frog nationalist, protectionist country bumpkins.

But no, Blighty's own nationalist, protectionist country bumpkins put paid to that.

SoD

[JK]

Some North American "can-do" eh? And to remedy the "public sectors" SoD?

And it was Brussels came up with that brilliant scheme?

Well bless your pointy little head Loz, you're a corker.

[Antisthenes]

Loz. I have only observed the American system from afar and I think in principle as it has private provision as it's backbone(as I understand it) it is a good one. It falls down on the funding and Obamacare was not the way to sort that out in fact it appears to have made it worse. Usual muddled left wing thinking. Like Canada they should have taken a leaf out of the French book because my two years living there made me come to the conclusion their system was similar to the French one except it was very short of doctors for reasons I could not work out.

Brexit may have or may not have stopped the advantages CETO and TIPP as whether those two deals will come about is a mute point and if is realised the advantages of Brexit will far outweigh that.